President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to immediately review and reduce the 2026 Hajj fares recently announced by the commission.
The Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Sen. Ibrahim Hadeija, disclosed this on Monday while briefing State House Correspondents after a meeting with NAHCON officials at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), NAHCON had earlier announced the 2026 Hajj fares as follows:
- Maiduguri-Yola Zone (Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba): ₦8,318,336.67
- Northern States: ₦8,244,813.67
- Southern States: ₦8,561,013.67
Hadeija explained that President Tinubu directed the commission to explore all possibilities of reducing the fares in light of the naira’s recent appreciation.
“This meeting was called at the instance of His Excellency, the Vice-President, to look at the possibility of reducing the Hajj fare for the 2026 pilgrimage,” Hadeija said.
“As you know, the Hajj fare component is about 95–96 percent foreign exchange-based. The announced rates were based on a pessimistic exchange rate of ₦1,550 per dollar, but the naira has since strengthened due to ongoing economic reforms.”
He added that since pilgrims paid between ₦8.5 and ₦8.6 million during the last Hajj under weaker exchange rates, it was only fair that the current improvement should reflect in the new fares.
“If more realistic exchange rates are applied, we expect the fare to drop to between ₦7.6 million and ₦7.7 million,” he said. “The final figure will be announced within two days, depending on the prompt remittance of funds by State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards.”
He emphasized that quicker payment and remittance would enable NAHCON to secure foreign exchange from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at favorable rates, further lowering the cost for pilgrims.
Reactions:
The Chairman of the Kebbi Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Faruk Yaro, expressed gratitude to President Tinubu and Vice-President Shettima for their timely intervention.
“We are happy with this development and thank the leadership for ensuring the Hajj fare becomes more affordable,” Yaro said.
Similarly, NAHCON Secretary, Dr. Mustapha Mohammad, welcomed the directive, noting that a lower fare would enable more Muslims to fulfill this important pillar of Islam.
“We will work tirelessly to ensure the new fares are affordable and fair to all intending pilgrims,” he assured.
